


Without an Audience

by Kaijawitch



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:40:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25417075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaijawitch/pseuds/Kaijawitch
Summary: The boys have been together in secret for a few years, it's time to let the secret out.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 3
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

Hermione sat quickly as she took in Harry’s words. Her best friend was married. She hadn’t even known he was seeing anyone. “Why didn’t you tell us? You know we would have supported you, right?”

“‘Mione, I know that. I wanted to try to live off the radar a bit. I didn’t want you to have to keep secrets either.” He held her hand. “I am telling you first because Ron won’t be happy. He still has hopes for me and Gin, which was never going to happen.”

“Deep down he knows, even Ginny tried to make him understand. He just really wanted to legally be your brother. He’ll get over it, whatever is so secret. It won’t change anything.” She argued. “He loves you.”

“I know you will understand when you meet them. Just trust me. I would not have hidden my relationship if I thought there was another way. The more private we were the less chance of the press catching up. Now that we are married we are going to give a press conference. I did not want the public judging us until we were settled.” After he said this Hermione jumped at the sound of the floo in the other room. She watched as Harry nervously ran his fingers through his already messy hair, then spun his wedding ring around on his finger. He looked once more at Hermione before letting out a squeaky “We’re in here, love.”

Hermione, unsure of what to expect looked around herself while she waited. She noticed that little in the flat had changed. The organized chaos of Harry. Her musing stopped as she took in the white blond hair and the strong bone structure of Draco Malfoy. Her jaw dropped. “Wow, um, congratulations.”

“Thank you, Granger. I know this is a bit of a shock.” He wrapped his arms around his husband’s shoulders.

“How long has this been going on?” Hermione asked, though the question caught in her throat for a moment.

“We started talking after the trials. I wanted to prove that we could all get along. We turned into friends, but quickly knew it was more.” Harry started.

Draco picked up with “Harry was sick of being a news story. We wanted to see what we could be without an audience. He was also afraid of how Ron would take him being gay and with me.”

“Honestly,” Hermione interjected, “ the fact that he’s gay will not be a shock, it isn’t to me. It will be to reporters, but Ron won’t care about that.”

Draco gave her his best smirk. “It’s still me. I wouldn’t blame him for hating me. There are times I still hate myself, though Harry helps with that.” Harry kissed the top of Draco’s hands as he listened,

“‘Mione I was hoping you could help me tell him. I don’t want him finding out from the papers.” Harry spoke up nervously.

“Really?” She sighed. “What do you want me to do? Tell him before you come over or support you as you tell him?”

Harry thought for a moment. “Part of me wants you to tell him, but that feels wrong.” He sat down next to her while looking into Draco’s eyes.

“Well, how about you tell him the being gay part first, and then we come in and deal with the rest? Helps break some of the suspense, and doesn’t leave Hermione doing all of it herself.” The blond stated.

“That’s a thought, and it will make him realize how nervous this is making me.” Harry added. “Can we do it tonight?”

“Yeah, probably best. Just so you know, I am happy for you Harry. You deserve to be happy, I just wish you had let us in while so much of your life changed.”

Hermione sat in the kitchen watching while Harry and Draco cooked. She had no idea how she could have not noticed a difference in her best friend. They worked as a fluid team. No awkward movements, just knowing exactly what the other would be doing. He had grown more confident and he lost the shadows that had always followed him. He was just happy. She smiled brightly as she realized this, Harry noticed it and laughed. “What?” He asked.

“You are finally happy, Har. You look so,” she hesitated, “ content. No longer waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Once the food was set out and Ron’s arrival was imminent Harry and Draco made themselves scarce. They decided to wait in their bedroom, Draco rubbing circles into his husband’s back. They heard the floo, then Hermione greeting Ron with a kiss.

Hermione had not quite figured out the best way to go about her task. She led Ron to the table, not answering his questions about where Harry was until he was seated comfortably. “Harry wanted me to talk to you about something before coming in. I am fairly sure you won’t have a problem with this part, so I’m just going to spit it out.”

Ron laughed nervously, “um, I am fairly positive ‘spitting it out’ requires less build up ‘Mione.” She gave him an annoyed eye roll, but sighed. “Any chance we can start in on the food while you talk?”

“No Ronald, so, Harry has been gone for three weeks, but he was not alone. He has been in a relationship for a few years.” She took a breath in and let it out slowly.

Ron looked surprised. “Why wouldn’t he tell me? Didn’t he trust us?” He was starting to get flushed, so she grabbed his hand and held it tight.

“He was afraid of anyone knowing. He’s gay Ronald. He wanted it to be a secret until they were ready.”

“Is that all? He is like my brother. I wouldn’t care one bit about that.” He complained. “Where is he ‘Mione?”

“I’m right here, Ron.” Harry said as he walked out of the room alone. “Before you say anything, yes, I trust you, but this was something I wanted for myself first. We wanted to see what we were before having anyone else know.”

“So, do we know him?” the redhead asked curiously. Hermione tensed up, causing him to look at her sharply. “Based on that reaction I’d say that’s a big ‘yes’. What’s going on? Just let it all out. I’m hungry.”  
Two sets of eye rolls answered him, and the click of the bedroom door opening again.  
Ron’s eyes grew wide as they took in the blond walking up the hallway. He shot his gaze back on Harry imploringly. “Malfoy? Really?”

“I’m sorry we are springing this on you like this.” Draco said with a nervous breath. “I’m also sorry for being a total prat all those years. Harry wanted us to tell you before the press finds out.”

“Uh, um, How?” Ron gulped loudly.

“That’s a long story, better served with food, but before that,” with this Harry took the blond’s hand. “We are married!”

“What the hell? That’s why you left for so long. How could you keep this from us for so long?” He was starting to get angry. “We have always trusted you. I can even deal with you and the ferret, uh, sorry Malfoy. Honestly we all knew you both were way too obsessed with each other, so this isn’t that crazy. You hid it from us though. You’ve never hidden such a big thing before. It kind of hurts Harry.”

“I’m sorry Ron, at first I was scared. The longer it went on I knew it would be a difficult conversation. My Gryffindor strength failed me. I felt like I had to hide it from everyone.” Ron just nodded his head once and gave Malfoy a sharp look.

Hermione decided that this was the end of the important conversation. “Boys, let’s talk while we eat. I think we have gotten over the hurdle. Now about your press conference.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Press conference.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nope, I don't own the characters, shocking I know.

Reporters surrounded the steps of the ministry. Their excitement felt tangible to the men as they waited. Draco kept his Malfoy mask on, including the sneer. Magical cameras and quills readied and waiting for their moment. The voices were deafening, doing nothing to help Harry’s nerves. The press jumped at the chance for a new savior story. They gossiped among themselves trying to guess what this was about. Draco was blending in; well, as much as he could with the Malfoy bloodline’s Many of the conversations he heard seemed to be along the lines of Harry being in a relationship with Ginevra. Some more creative stories were being bandied about. Like Harry looking for new followers for a cult or going back to teach potions at Hogwarts, as if he was ever any good at potions. After a little while he made his way to the room where Harry waited. He had heard what he wanted to hear, no one had any clue.

Draco opened the door to the empty room the ministry had made available to them. He saw his husband huddled on the floor breathing heavily. Instantly he dropped his sneer, replacing it with a warm smile as he kneeled down and looked deeply into the green eyes that had captured him when they were kids. “Baby, if it’s too much I can do it. I stopped caring what the press thought of me years ago.” He sat down on the floor wrapping an arm around his husband’s shoulder. He wiped gingerly at his trousers as he noticed the spider webs in the room. 

Harry sighed. “No, I have to do this. Once it’s done I can go back to ignoring the press.” He laughed softly. “Is it too late to just let them catch us?” Draco joined in a laugh, then stood up, holding out a hand for Harry. The men stood there just looking at each other and holding hands as Harry’s breathing returned to normal. “I guess it’s time isn’t it?” 

“You look stunning, so let’s get this mess over with so I can have you all to myself for the rest of the day.” Harry smirked playfully at Draco’s statement. “I’m serious, I want some serious cuddle time after this.”.

“Okay, but, I really should have written something.” Harry stated worriedly. “Maybe if I knew what I was going to say I wouldn’t be so nervous. I would be able to just read it and it would be done.”

“No, you are charming when you just let it go. Just follow your gut and I will follow your lead. It will be over soon.” Draco held the shorter man in his arms and kissed his forehead. “No matter what happens we will deal with it. We are forever, okay?” Harry took a deep breath and nodded before taking a step towards the door. 

As Harry stepped onto the steps outside, the crowd quickly grew silent. Their eyes staring as though they were trying to see his soul. He lifted his wand to his throat and called for attention. He kept his gaze over the people, not looking directly at anyone. Draco stood behind him mostly hidden in a shadow.

“Good Morning everyone, I am sure you are all curious about why I’ve organized this conference. I know I rarely do anything like this, but, if I don’t I will have to hide something important to me. So, we decided…” At the word ‘we’ the noise increased with the speculative murmurings of the reporters. Harry cleared his throat, silencing them once again. “We decided that we were ready to stop hiding.” The questions started immediately, most presuming that the ‘we’ referred to Ginny. Harry rolled his eyes and held up his hands. “No, Ginny is my best friend's sister, that’s it. I have been in a relationship for five years with a wonderful person. We got married a month ago.” He could not keep going as the murmurs started again even louder. He waived his hand behind his back to signal Draco, who, as planned, stepped forward suddenly out of the shadow and grabbed the offered hand. The murmurs became yells and for a moment neither man said anything. They just looked into each other’s eyes and zoned out the noise.

Finally, the noise quieted down. So Harry looked back on the crowd. “Yes, Draco Malfoy and I got married. We are also taking in my godson Teddy soon. We have been so happy. We are living proof that people can change. We are willing to answer ten questions. Use them Wisely.” At that they stood closer to the crowd to hear the questions. Neither man willing to let go of the other’s hand.

“How did you meet Mr. Malfoy again after the trials?”

“We ran into each other, while I was on a quest to prove that we could all exist together after the war. We talked a lot, which turned into more as we spent more time together. Next question.”

“How do your friends and family feel about this relationship?”

Harry smiled shyly at the question. “We have only told a few people. My two best friends are happy for us. “ Harry started. “I plan on telling the rest of my chosen family today, but I am sure it will be okay.”

“As for my mother, she owled earlier, congratulating us, so I’d say she is happy enough.” Draco said dryly. He gave the reporters his trademark sneer and wrapped his arms around Harry, putting his chin on the shorter man’s shoulder..

“Why did you wait this long to come out about your sexuality and your relationship?”

“We wanted to know we were settled before we let the relationship be known. No audience to judge our fragile beginning. As for sexuality, that was not something I felt needed to be addressed. I am who I am. I never actively tried to hide it.” Harry said with no smile.

“As for me, my friends new that I was gay a long time ago. Partially because of Harry to be honest. I never hid it from my family either. During the trials there were far more important things to worry about.” Draco added. 

“Why are you adopting your godson now?”

“The plan was always for me to get Teddy once my life settled down a bit. It just so happens to be that Draco is settled down with me.” Harry smiled again as he thought of his godson. “Draco was aware of that before we decided to get married.”

“Are you planning on living in the manor?”

Draco takes this one. “Not at the moment. We both have some bad associations with it. We share a flat in Muggle London for now. When we get some renovations done to the manor we may decide to go back there.”

“Are you afraid of the reactions as your godson grows up with two dads? This is still not fully accepted.”

“NO.” They answered in unison. “Every kid grows up with different circumstances. He will have two loving parents. That’s all we care about.” Draco added. Harry squeezed his hand and smiled.

“Are you planning on having more children?”

“Eventually, yes, we both want more children.” They both answered, chuckling.

“To our knowledge neither of you is currently working, will that be changing anytime soon?”

“My parents left me money. I wanted to live a bit before figuring that out, but, yes. I already have been approached about an opportunity that will have to wait to be announced.” Harry answered, looking at Draco.

“I have also been approached, and it cannot be announced, but, yes.” the blond added.

“How did you manage to keep this relationship a secret for so long with the press watching you both?”

Harry laughed. “Carefully. Even my friends had no clue.” He added.

“We spent a lot of time in the muggle world or traveling. I’m still surprised no one ever caught us while we were out.” Draco answered. “One more question!”

“Are you planning to have another ceremony for your friends and family to attend?”

The pair looked at each other for a moment. Then Harry sighed. “Not at the moment but we haven’t really decided. Alright, thank you for coming. That is it for today.” Draco kept an arm around his love’s waist as they walked to the nearest floo.

Ron and Hermione were waiting for them. Eagerly wanting to know how it went. Hermione was wishing they had television here to watch press conferences. When they arrived in their bedroom they kissed quickly, then joined their friends in the kitchen.

Hermione started the questioning with “How’d it go?” She seemed to be wired up. Her curls bouncing as she gestured animatedly. She sat down next to her husband while Harry and Draco took up the seats opposite them. 

“It was fine.” Harry said. “I wish my life was normal enough not to require press conferences, but, my life will always be watched.” He shrugged. “The boy who lived will always have an audience won’t he?” 

Draco and Hermione both took one of his hands. “You are more than that to us, to your real family. Just ignore them when they are in your face. “ Hermione said earnestly “And we all know Draco didn’t give a damn about that even when we were all kids. He made sure you knew it, too.” This got a laugh out of them all. “Okay Harry, another serious question. Are you ready to tell Mrs. Weasley, you are like another son to her, she won’t want to read it tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I know, would she mind if I added a plus one to dinner?” He asked tiredly. “I don’t want to make her think about the past too much, but, I agree she needs to know. She may even decide we are getting another ceremony just because she wasn’t there.”

“It will surprise her, but she's always been obliging. She cooks for an army.” Ron laughs. “Well, if you are coming tonight we’ll go home and give you some time alone. I am sure that was stressful.” He waggled his red eyebrows. “We’ll see you later, mate.” With this the couple walked to the nearest floo and left.

“We could take some time to ‘de-stress’, but I’m so tired I just want to lay down.” Harry said as he yawned. This brought a yawn from Draco as well. They just laughed it off. Draco took his own suit jacket off and helped Harry off with his. They both kick off their shoes, Draco putting them away neatly. Harry strips down to boxers and throws himself on the bed. Draco looks at him for a moment, following suit quickly. He pulled the brunette into his chest, feeling his breathing. “This is certainly enough for me as long as you are with me”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family.

Molly Weasley was excited that Harry was coming to eat with the family. He had been gone for awhile and she wanted to finally get a chance to catch up. The house smelled like baking bread and foods of all kinds were in the process of being made. Ginny and George were currently outside on their brooms, Arthur was fiddling with one of his muggle tech devices at the kitchen table. “He’s going to be here any minute, go and put that thing away.” She admonished with a dramatic sigh. Hermione and Ron came down from their bedroom with matching grimaces. Hermione immediately started to help her mother in law, though she knew if she asked she would have been told not to worry about it. Arthur stood and followed his wife’s orders as always and Ron just sat down, looking around nervously. “What’s wrong Ronald? You look worried.” 

“It’s nothing, just hoping he’s not late.” He answered guiltily. She always knew when she was being lied to, and he knew it. “He had a pretty rough day today. He is bringing someone with him, asked me if it was okay earlier. I figured it would be fine.”

She rolled her eyes at him, but ignored his lie. “Of course it’s fine, the more the merrier. So who is it?” She asked curiously, watching him out of the corner of her eye as he shifted nervously in his chair. Instead of risking another lie he just shrugged then stumbled over to help Hermione. His wife managed a smile at him for running away from his mother, but didn’t add to the conversation.

They were saved by the sound of the floo. The pair ran in and whisked Harry and Draco away before Molly could see them. “What’s going on, mate?” Harry asked, confused. Draco just held his hand, looking uncomfortable, his face back to his old Malfoy mask that most would see as snobby. “Aren’t we allowed in?”  
“Of course Harry, but, I think Ron wants to know how you want to do this. Just bring him in and then explain, or more like we did at your house where he stayed back until you had explained most of it. There is a bit of bad blood as you know, we don’t know what her first reaction will be. “

“Honestly, I think we just go in and do it like I would if he was anyone else. It would not be fair to leave Draco alone in the house while I try to explain to a room full of people. Who knows how long it would take. I will bring him in, as usual now while it’s just Molly and maybe Arthur. Once she knows, she’ll help wrangle the others in if they get too weird about it.” Harry said as he looked over at his husband. Draco was apprehensive, but, he had been taught to hide that part of himself so he just nodded his head stiffly. Harry looked him in the eyes. “I promise, it will be just fine.” As a group they walked back towards the kitchen with Ron and Hermione in front. Draco was taller so his white blond hair still stood out as they walked up. 

“Oh, there you are Ronald, I had wondered where you… “ Mrs. Weasley looked past her son, seeing Harry first, hand in hand with Draco. “ Harry, it’s been ages since you came for a visit. Um, I take it you have news to share?” She hugged Harry, trying to look happy as she noticed they still didn’t drop their held hands. “Let’s get everyone in so you don’t have to say everything more than once, okay?” She called the others in, Arthur sat down, not really noticing the group that had just come in. While Ginny, and George came in with wind chapped faces, stopping dead as they noticed the assembled group. 

“What’s the ferret doing here?” Ginny asked, rudely. She threw herself down in her chair and looked at Harry. Harry cleared his throat, looking quickly at Draco. Hermione pulled Ron’s arm leading him to their seats leaving only the couple standing at the entrance. 

“Come on boys, take a seat, I’m sure this will be an interesting story.” Molly gestured to a pair of chairs that were open. Harry took in George’s grin and Arthur’s confusion. He was a little upset to see Ginny’s hostility, but it wasn’t completely a shock either. He knew she had had a crush on him once, even though she’d accepted that he just couldn’t be with her. He also knew that she did not have any good things to say about anyone named Malfoy.   
Draco looked miserable. Harry was trying to figure out how to start when Molly dished out food to everyone. “So, what’s been going on in your life Harry, you’ve been gone for a month.” She said with a reassuring nod. He knew she was trying to nudge him into talking. 

He took a deep breath. “Okay, so, I’ve been hiding something for quite awhile. I’ve been meaning to tell you, but, it just never seemed the time with everything that happened. So, I’m gay.”  
Everyone at the table just looked at each other. “Mate, we already guessed that much. We’ve known you long enough to notice.” George replied to that. He looked carefully at Harry. Harry, knowing that he had to keep going ruffled his hair with his left hand jumping slightly when George’s eyes widened. “You have got to be joking, right? A wedding ring?” 

Harry’s face flushed, and all the weasleys except Ron stared at his hand. “Uh, yeah. So, I’ve been seeing Draco for quite awhile, we got married. I was on my honeymoon when I went on that trip.” Everyone started talking over each other trying to ask questions. “I really did mean to tell you earlier, but we were trying to make sure we were settled before letting it be common knowledge.”

“You told me about being gay Harry, but, Malfoy? This makes no sense.” Ginny stated in an irritated voice. She went to stand up, but Ron motioned for her to sit back down. 

“Alright dear, how long have you two been seeing each other?” Molly spoke softly, trying to ease some of the tension.

“It’s been about five years. Five years of me hiding an important part of my life from the people I consider my family. After the trials we started talking. It just grew from there. To be honest we both felt something before. We just fought it and each other. He’s not who you think he is.” Harry said, grasping both of Draco’s hands.  
“I know that if you have loved him for this long, he must be a good man. Your gut has never proven you wrong. I can accept him as part of your family Harry, you really didn’t need to hide it from us for so long.” Molly said gently. She gave Draco another reassuring smile. “So, what are you going to do now that you are back from traveling?”

“We are living in London,” Draco answered. “ we actually both have offers to teach at Hogwarts.” He unconsciously held his chin up waiting for their anger to appear. It didn’t though, Ginny still seemed annoyed, but, everyone else just smiled. 

“What will you teach?” George asked. “I mean, I would assume Harry is DADA?”

“I will be teaching potions. It was always my best subject and yes, Harry is DADA. They still have not had a teacher stay in the position. I can’t imagine why” The blond said jokingly.

“This is to go no further than this room, it hasn’t been announced yet.” Harry said after taking a bite of his food. “We plan on living in the muggle area when not at the school. Fewer people judge either of us there. We grew quite used to nobody paying us any attention for who we are aside from a few random homophobes.”  
Mrs. Weasly looked understanding, but sad. “There’s a lot of people against it in the wizarding world as well, as you know Draco, you won’t find that judgement here. Harry is like my son, so now you are like my son in law, and just so you know you are given a clean slate now. Even knowing who you were, we understand that you were a child put in the middle of something you should never have dealt with. You are welcome here.. Now, enough with all of this, eat up everyone.” Draco looked around the table and with the exception of Ginny, everyone looked like they agreed. Even Ginny had lost most of her anger, she seemed resigned to him. Draco knew that his mother was okay with him, but the letter had been pretty cold. He felt a warmth here that he would never have gotten at his own home. He gave Harry a small smile and squeezed his hand once more before digging into his food.   
When they arrived back home they immediately got undressed and in bed. They just laid there with their fingers entwined and stared into each others’ eyes. “Are we ready for this?” Harry asks, swallowing nervously.  
“We both knew we couldn’t hide forever, being us we would eventually be caught while out in public. I’d rather it not seem like we were embarrassed of each other, or being gay. We’ve both survived worse. Plus, I have the savior to protect me.” the blond teased, rolling forward to dodge the playful swat to his ass. 

“Oh, really.” Harry kissed his husband hard, biting his lower lip as he pulled away. “I think you should be punished for that statement. Don’t you?” He trailed his mouth down the blond’s neck to his chest, tracing the light scars with his teeth. Draco’s low moans made Harry’s heart beat faster. His tongue followed the lines of his abs. Instead of going lower he went back up and kissed Draco, this time a lingering and gentle kiss. He then gave him an evil little smirk as he rolled away from his husband. Draco was left to come down on his own. As Harry regretted the punishment as it punished him as well. 

“Are you sure you weren’t in Slytherin, you definitely know how to manipulate me when you want. That was devious.” The blond rolled onto his side, spooning his husband and pulling his back onto his chest. “Good Night Love.. Tomorrow will be what it will be. We burn the howlers and deal with the rest as it comes.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dealing with the aftermath

Having no important plans for the morning, the pair stayed in each others’ arms whispering sweet nothings to each other. After a couple of hours, their bodies told them they had to get up so they did, grudgingly. After getting their bodies’ needs taken care of they went to the kitchen to make breakfast together. One batch of blueberry pancakes later they sat down for a leisurely breakfast, almost forgetting the onslaught they would have to deal with after the Prophet was delivered to everyone. They were focusing on each other, lazily entwining their fingers as they drank their tea when the first owl appeared at the window. Draco sighed at the owl being in muggle London, but fed it some treats as he took the paper from it’s leg. As the owl left, he threw the paper on the table and looked at his husband. “Shall we see how bad they did. I didn’t see Skeeter there, so hopefully it came out alright. I think she got fired when they realized she was an unregistered animagus.” 

Harry unrolled the paper and looked at the front page. “Well, at least it’s a good picture of us. I might want a copy of it. The headline could be better though.” Draco looked over his husband’s shoulder to see the text. ‘Savior married to former death eater!” His silver eyes rolled back dramatically.

“Well, it gets better from there. It seems to be mostly positive aside from dragging my history back out. ‘Potter’s childhood nemesis’? Come on.” The blond shook his head with a smirk. “Children do mature, but, over all I’m not unhappy with the article. It could have been so much worse. How long do you think it will take for the howlers to arrive? We should probably have a fire set up to throw them right in, we’ll still hear some of it, but not all of it.”

“You get the fire started then, and I’ll get the box for the regular letters. We should probably cast a charm to not have the owls noticed by the muggles. I’ve enjoyed living mostly magic free for awhile, but I don’t want to freak people out.” Harry said as he put their dishes in the sink to wash later. “Just remember, we did this for a reason. Nothing they say is going to change us, right?” The blond only grunted in acknowledgement as he focused on controlling a small fire.

The first message to arrive was surprisingly not a howler, it was from Luna, congratulating them. They smiled at each other but, both knew that would not be the last. As more and more owls arrived they were getting annoyed by the howlers. Even being thrown directly into the fire they spit out some of their contents. The number of times they heard ‘unnatural’,‘disgusting’, and ‘faggot’ as the paper burned was overwhelming. However, they also got quite a few uplifting messages from people praising their bravery at coming out to the wizarding world and congratulating them on their marriage. Even more from other gay people in the wizarding world who were too scared to come out, but happy to see them being proud of their relationship. Eventually, the owls died down and they gradually read through all the messages. They heard from friends from their days at Hogwarts, most of them admitting it was not that much of a shock that they’d end up together. There were also more questions than the pair would ever have time to answer, as they still wanted some semblance of privacy for their life. They opened all of the regular mail coming in, swearing at the paper cuts they inevitably seemed to get. 

Eventually the messages stopped altogether. They both breathed a sigh of relief, Harry wrapping himself around his husband and pushing him back towards the bedroom. “I think we deserve some fun Dray.” Once they were both sated and happy once again they got dressed up to go out. Harry allowed the blond to pick out a suitable outfit for their outing to Diagon Alley. Leisurely walking hand in hand, no longer worrying about who might catch them was freeing in a way that neither would have guessed before. Being who they were, they still had to be observant, but not nearly as much as they had been in the years up to now. Most people just pretended to ignore them, and then whispered about them when they passed by. A few sneers, and a few verbal slurs, but nothing that either man cared enough to address. They had decided to be happy. Today was their day to enjoy being free to be themselves. The plan was that they would bring Teddy to the house the next day. It was planned this way to avoid having him in the house while all the mail came in. They knew there would likely still be some coming in, but nothing like today’s assault. They enjoyed the trip down memory lane, even laughing over the memory of their very first meeting while shopping for their first year of Hogwarts. While they were out they met up with Hermione and Ron and reminisced some more. “If you knew back then, that we would end up together, would it have changed anything?” Draco asked thoughtfully, following up with a brief, but loving kiss on his husband’s cheek.

“I wouldn’t have believed it, honestly. I had never had a family that wanted me, so the idea of marriage seemed unlikely. When I first met you I will admit, I was totally awestruck. You were beautiful, and then your Malfoy arrogance scared me off. So, even if I had visions of us, or somehow knew the future, it would not have made me change anything because I would not for one moment see it as a possibility.” Harry said, remembering some of their more lively exchanges over the years. Picturing the love of his life as a child he first spotted in a robe shop, the over the top arrogant smirk. Picture perfect blond hair, molten silver eyes, and alabaster skin all standing out in stark contrast to the black robes he was being fitted for. Draco laughed at the dreamy and far away look on Harry’s face. 

“Oh, come on Harry. You were obsessed with him all through school. Even when you were being hunted down, you watched Malfoy so much you knew what foods he preferred, how he took his tea. There is no way you didn’t feel any of this then.” Ron argued loudly. 

“I did not say I did not feel anything towards him. He was a prat that first day. Even if I had felt it right away, I would have been turned off by the attitude. He always seemed to hate me. I also wouldn’t say I was obsessed. Curious maybe, but not obsessed.”

Draco laughed at that, “you guys and that invisibility cloak got away with so much more than I ever imagined during school. I used to wonder how you guys snuck around the castle so much without getting caught. I wish I knew I had that much attention, maybe I wouldn’t have tried so hard to get you to see me.. They are right though, love, I never had to tell you how I took my tea. You already knew.” The glint in his silver eyes made Harry smile brightly. 

“Yeah, okay, I paid attention.” Harry looked a little sheepish, though he kept going. “I still don’t feel like I was obsessed.” 

“Don’t worry, the slytherins didn’t even bother trying to hide their bets. I was not subtle enough to hide it. Luckily, with my family being who it was, I did manage to avoid some of the hate for being gay. Though, Blaize and Pansy would tease me relentlessly as I told them everything.” Draco shrugged. “I hated the fact that I wanted you, but, figured it would never happen. I was also terrified of what might happen to you. I didn’t eat or sleep well through school with thoughts of you. I still think you are too good for me Potter. If I had known that we’d end up where we are I would have been a bit less of a jerk.” 

“Draco, you need to stop saying that. I am not good, you are not bad. We both went through hell and back and managed to find happiness anyway. I count this as a win. You are brilliant, fit as hell, and underneath generations of Malfoy masks you love me.” Harry sang the last part teasingly. He rested his head on the blonde’s shoulder, wrapping his arm around his waist. “We are both perfect for each other.” 

“This is too sweet for my taste, what are we drinking?” Ron quipped lightly as he leaned back casually in his chair. 

“Oh come on honey, we were like this once. I am sure Harry was not thrilled with being around us at that point.” Hermione rested a hand on Ron’s knee, shaking her head slowly as she remembered them when they started dating. 

“No, I was miserably lonely. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy for you both, but it just reminded me how alone I was. By that point I already knew I was gay. I just figured it was another part of me that made me a freak. I did take Ginny out once, but it just didn’t feel right. I actually came out to her back then.” 

“If I had known in school that you were gay, I might have tried a different tact.” Draco shrugged again. “I used to dream about what would have happened if I asked you to the ball. You, all dressed up remained one of my favorite fantasies.” 

“You looked pretty good yourself. I definitely noticed you that night.” Harry smiled as he spoke. “I had several interesting dreams of you in that suit.” Being so fair, Draco’s blush was impossible to hide, winning a smirk from Harry. “Aww babe, did I embarrass you?”

“No.” He answered roughly following with whispering in his ear. “Possibly going to need you alone soon, but not embarrassed. Maybe we could reenact some of these fantasies we both had.” This caused Harry to blush as well, and Hermione gave them both a knowing smirk. 

“I think Ron and I should get back home and give you guys some time alone again before you lose all your privacy tomorrow.” She nudged Ron out of his seat as he looked confused. “We’ll see you guys later. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Harry and Draco stayed sitting at the table, shoulder to shoulder, their hands entwined. They were comfortable and just wanted to take in the silence for a little longer before continuing on their shopping day. They spent a lot of time finding things to fill the room they had set aside for Teddy. After getting home they got the room ready and held each other as they waited for Andromeda’s entrance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure how I feel about this chapter, but.. after going over and over it I have to just let it be.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teddy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to play with p.o.v.s this time around.. trying to mix it up a bit.

*****Draco’s p.o.v.*****

_A slight chill in the air, the beginning of autumn and a new chapter in our lives. I feel the anticipation of parenthood. When we pick Teddy up I can see the unbridled joy in both faces. The child’s hair changes from his favorite blue to a messy black. I am greeted with the same amount of enthusiasm and I see the boy’s eyes have changed to silver. Some part of me recognizes that this is what a child of ours could look like. At six years old he’s able to comprehend that he is coming to live with us, though he may not fully realize yet that his grandma is not coming with us. I secretly dread the moment the realization sets in. My eyes are caught by his yawn. Adorably tousled black hair, snitch pajamas that are just a tad too big. Eyelids fluttering over the silver eyes. Harry’s head is laying on my shoulder. I can feel how happy he is. We watch as my nephew, now our son, finally gets to sleep at home._

I open my eyes and stretch, feeling the emptiness from the other side of the bed. I cast a tempus to check the time but the sound of yelling comes from down the hall. At this moment I wish I could just go back into the dream. Teddy is now a preteen who is going to Hogwarts. He has lived there with us during school, but now he will be a student, and he has not been happy about having us as teachers.

“I told you I am already packed, you don’t need to check!” Teddy screams as I slowly make my way towards his room in just my pajama bottoms.

Harry gives me a quick wink as he gives me a once over. “I know George gave you things you are not allowed to bring. Hand them over.” Harry says calmly with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He was dressed in nice trousers and a crisp white shirt. I could not help but grin at him. “Not going to help me with this?” He asks me loudly, by the look on his face his volume is more for Teddy.

“Too early, I’m going to take a shower love.” I kiss his lips gently and squeeze his hand in solidarity. I undress in the hall as I walk back to our room, smirking as I feel his eyes on me the whole way. By the time I was showered and dressed in tight charcoal gray trousers and silver gray button down the argument had apparently ended. I found my boys in the kitchen as they worked together to make breakfast. “I take it we are done arguing now?” I ask while laughing. “Did you give him the pranks, Teddy?”

“Ugh, Poppa, it was nothing but harmless fun. From what I heard Dad used to do WAY worse when he went there.” Teddy wore black trousers with a white button down and the school blazer, but he had gone with blue hair with my silver eyes. His eyes rolled as though he was suffering through our discussion.

Harry huffed in annoyance. I just rubbed his back as I considered my reply. “Yes, your dad got away with a lot in school, but he also came close to dying every year. We aren’t exactly going to let you follow his example.” When he went to speak I just held up my hand. “Don’t follow mine either. I can guarantee you don’t want to go where I almost went. We are not going to be any harder on you than your classmates, but you are expected to keep yourself out of trouble.”

Teddy just put his head down on the table to end the conversation. After Harry and I finished eating and washing up, we went back to preparing to leave. We were all packed, it was just a matter of double checking everything. Teddy did not even need to ask, as he has done this more than a few times with us. We managed to get to the train with no further arguments. Once there he immediately ran to find the friends he had made previously.

“I bet you he will be in Gryffindor, he reminds me of you. Well Love, I think we should find ourselves some privacy. It seems like a waste that we haven’t done anything on the train.” Harry’s only response was a raised eyebrow. I say something similar every year. “Alright let’s go pretend to be responsible adults and find the other teachers. .”

“What are the stakes for the bet?” He asks with a glint in his eyes.

“Whichever one wins gets to do whatever they want to the other tonight.”

“Oh, any way I win. Even if neither of us is correct I win so, sure. I think he will follow grandma and you into slytherin. He is very good at arguing.” With that he kissed me, entwined our hands and tugged me and our cart to the train. I quietly laughed, but followed quickly.

Most of the teachers just apparated straight to the school, but the train evoked memories for Harry. We had decided our first year as teachers that we would always enjoy coming in this way. We found an empty compartment and let Harry take the window seat while I leaned in to him. Teachers or not, we had done enough hiding. We spent the ride wondering what kind of memories Teddy was making his first trip as an actual student.

*****Teddy’s p.o.v*****

Someday I want a relationship as close as my dads’, but, why do they need to start my first year by embarrassing me? Part of living in the school with them was making friends with the older kids, so I could not exactly pretend not to know them. I found a compartment that was free and settled in, waiting for others to arrive. This year I could meet kids my own age. I watched out the window as my dads slowly made their way to the train. I guess I should be glad they let me get on by myself. I turned from the window and focused on the potions book, hoping this sense of foreboding was nothing. Eventually a few of my friends joined me and I managed to forget about them.

*****Harry’s p.o.v.*****

When the train arrived Draco and I apparated in, to start unpacking as the younger kids took the scenic route to the school. I remember how amazing it all was to me my first year. Part of me wishes that Teddy could have that same experience, but he grew up with magic and knows this castle almost as well as I do. ”I’m not ready. He’s growing up too fast. Can’t we make him stay this age?” I asked as Draco kissed the back of my neck.

“Shouldn’t you have asked this before he turned into an emotional preteen? Now we have to wait until after the teen years.” He said as he laughed gently. I knew he was right, the argument this morning was proof of that, so I just sighed. I turned around and let Draco hold me against his chest for a few minutes. He rubbed my back and kept me close while I tried to compose myself.

We took our places at the staff table looking over the excited students at their house tables. I felt Draco hold my hand under the table as the first years made their way down the center of the room. He’s always been better at hiding his emotions, so I wasn’t surprised to see the Malfoy mask up. He could not however hide his gasp as he caught sight of the boy who may as well be our son. Teddy had changed his hair to black, which he often did when he was nervous. His attempt at not drawing attention to himself. He had chosen a new set of robes that fit him perfectly. We could not help but smile proudly at him as he took his place to be sorted. I’m sure my nerves were visible to everyone in the room. My breathing stopped as I waited to hear the sorting hat.

Dray and I were a little surprised to hear “Hufflepuff”, but we stood and clapped to show our support. His hair changed back to blue as he walked to his house table. His eyes were bright and his smile could light the room as he looked up at us. He would do well in hufflepuff, and I hope he will feel close to his mother who had been there before.

Once the students had all made it to their seats, I couldn’t help but turn to my husband. “So, neither of us won, but I am still getting some tonight.” I had been letting my hand travel up the inside of his thigh under the table. The Malfoy mask was still in place until a blush quickly crept up his cheeks. His smirk turned to a laugh. I looked back out at the tables just in time to see Teddy blush and put his head in his hands, embarrassed by his dads again. Oops.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work in the fandom, but the boys were in my head so I am letting them out to play. Constructive criticism is welcome.


End file.
